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On the other side-
Not long after waking Fu Jinxiao up, ghosts and wolves wailed1very noisy from every room.
Shen Xingsui woke up early by himself, there was no need for Anran to shout. In contrast, Shen Xingchen didnât wake up despite all the hubris happening around him. Not even violence could stir this young master from his slumber. You could try to yank his quilt, but that would lead him into screeching like a banshee, which annoyed Anran to no end. Waking him up was the ultimate test of patience, it seemed.
Like this, what kind of luck did Shen Xingsui have yesterday? Let alone kissing Fu Jinxiao, all of his tasks were solved because of a power outage. How could he be like this?
After the war of waking everyone up, the director gathered everyone together. With a sunny smile that was asking for a beat-down, he asked, âHow did everyoneâs rest last night?â
Everyone wailed in unison, âDirector, if you didnât wake us up so early in the morning, we would be happier.â
The directorâs smile got wider instead, âAh, Iâm waking you all nice and early because I would like to thank everyone for their hard work yesterday. So, I prepared breakfast for everyone. I hope you can enjoy your meal.â
Free breakfast? Whatâs the catch?
Do the crew think the guests were a bunch of idiots? Thereâs no way this program would suddenly become humane out of nowhere. This was a reality show, it solely exists to torment them as a form of entertainment.
However, the director clapped his hands as if to improve his own credibility, and a staff member came out pushing carts. Eight small carts were pushed, and each cart contained a rich breakfast. Steamed buns, youtiao, soy milk, as well as bread and milk, cereals and so on.
Shen Xingchen was shocked, âDirector, you finally did something human!â
Director: ââŠâ
Thank you for complimenting me.
Only Fu Jinxiao asked, âCan these be eaten freely?â
He was experienced with this kind of show, and he hit the point with one sentence. And sure enough, he saw the directorâs smile get brighter, âIâm glad you ask. Of course not! Everyone can only choose three breakfast items!â
Sure enough, a dog could only be a dog.
However, compared to the free food of yesterday, today was an outright banquet. Everyone swallowed their opinions, and consciously picked up the breakfast they wanted to eat and started eating.
As the guests enjoyed their warm breakfast, the director told everyone about todayâs task, âYesterdayâs revenue will be used to pay your loan, and any leftover will be used for todayâs initial capital. You all will work as businessmen today! There are no restrictions on methods and conditions on what you sell or how you sell it; but there are only two rules: first, you canât sell things higher than the market price, and second, you canât rely on your celebrity status to advertise your business! Once someone recognizes you because of your celebrity status, the amount of this transaction will be invalidated and will not be included in the total amount.â This rule largely prevented some people from cheating, relying on their popularity to gain unfair advantage.
And on top of that, this would incentive people to get creative in their ways of making money.
The director continued his explanation, âWhen each of your teams is earning money, they may get clues about the assassin along the way. At the same time, I want to tell everyone that the team that earns the most money today will get rich rewards at the end!â
Everyone applauded together as they got more excited.
Shen Xingchen asked the director, âThen, is there a limit to the number of people in a team?â
The director was very open this time, âMaximum four people to a group. However, you canât split up from yesterdayâs teammate!â
That is, to reach the maximum number of people, two groups will merge into one.
Shen Xingchen stood beside Shen Xingsui without hesitation, and the four of them formed a small team without a fuss.
âHow do we make money?â Shen Xingchen made a suggestion, âLi Xuâan and I didnât earn a lot from working yesterday. Should I find a store to sell things by myself today?â
Li Xuâan gave his input, âThen have you decided on your wares?â
Shen Xingchen shook his head naively, he didnât have a business mind like his brother, so he could only say, âI havenât thought about it, what can this small town sell?â
ââŠâ Li Xuâan wisely remained silent.
Shen Xingchen casted his eyes on Fu Jinxiao again and asked, âFu-ge, do you have any suggestions?â
In shows like this, Fu Jinxiao used to be silent unless he was asked. He mainly wanted to let others get their own limelight, because he knew he was very attention-grabbing. Actor Fu has always been very tactful, and it applied to todayâs competition as well with his Buddhist behavior.
Answering to Shen Xingchenâs question, he spoke with an indifferent tone, âNope.â
Netizens didnât know the reason for Fu Jinxiaoâs sudden salted fish2very passive, not doing anything. behavior, so they could only laugh:
[Hahaha, I even think Fu-ge wants to go back and catch up on sleep.]
[Money is something outside of his concern.]
[After all, there is no punishment for failing today.]
Another group was situated nearby, so they could very easily eavesdrop. Seeing a golden opportunity to pull far ahead of Fu-cheating-Jinxiao, they grabbed it in a flash. After setting up a strategy with pride, Instructor Li said with a puffed-up chest, âThere is a big flower field behind our bookstore, so we decided to sell flowers!â
Shen Xingsui was standing closest to him, so he politely commented, âThatâs a good idea, good luck.â
Instructor Li was a funny and entertaining-type of celebrity. He smiled at Shen Xingsui and said, âSuisui, have you made up your mind yet?â
Shen Xingsui shook his head and replied honestly, âNo.â
âHurry up!â Instructor Li said with a smile, âWe have already decided, we will definitely make a lot of money today, and weâll let you know how good we are.â
Shen Xingsui saw Teacher Liâs funny appearance, and said in response, âYou are already very good.â
The instructor was amused by this well-behaved and sensible child, so he came over and pat Shen Xingsui on the shoulder, showing a smug smile, âOhoho? You youngsters sure have good eyes to see my true power. For the sake of your admiration for me, we will win today.â
Shen Xingsui politely chuckled, âCome on then!â
The two were playing and laughing, and the atmosphere was very good. As for Fu Jinxiao, who was originally lazy standing not far away, looked at this scene with a mysterious gait. The smile in his eyes gradually faded away, especially when Instructor Liâs hand touched the youthâs shoulder. His lips were pursed into a thin line, and people had this subconscious feeling to avoid him.
Shen Xingchen babbled next to him and said harshly, âWe wonât lose! Instructor Li, just wait! We are definitely the group that earns the most today!â
Fu Jinxiao looked down at the young master, then suddenly asked him, âDo you know where the farmerâs market is in this town?â
Shen Xingchen was still preparing to confront Instructor Li, but he was taken aback when he heard this question, âHuh?â
âIâm asking you, do you know where the farmerâs market is?â Fu Jinxiao raised his eyebrows, âGo over there to see if there are any products we can buy in bulk so itâs cheaper. Then, we can sell that to gain profit.â
Shen Xingchen looked at Fu Jinxiao who suddenly became serious, and hesitated, âFu-ge, didnât you just say you have no suggestions? Why do you want to go to the farmerâs market all of a sudden?â
Fu Jinxiao let out a âhuhâ and a dangerous smile, âDid I say that?â
âMy bad⊠I must have misheard.â
The audience in the live broadcast room were all overjoyed:
[Itâs exciting to see Xingchen bullied like this!]
[This sudden damned desire to win.]
[Fu-ge, whatâs happened to you, hahaha!]
As the show aired, the ratings of âBright Starsâ were getting higher and higher. Mainly, because this show was authentic. They didnât coddle the celebrities â if they were tasked to cook, then they must cook. Moving bricks is really moving bricks; the mosquitoes everywhere are also real; getting up in the morning is real, especially extra real because they are all bare-faced. And this was the reason the audience loved this show. No script, no coddling, no nonsense.
In the early morning, the farmers market was extra bustling.
Shen Xingchen wanted to buy everything he saw along the way. But he remembered his current financial condition and could only suggest two things after he took things into consideration, âI think that toy stand is good, letâs buy some toys and sell them? Or, maybe selling candies, like cotton candies?â
However, Fu Jinxiao thought this was equal to useless chatter. A childish one, that is.
The more people walked inside, the more people there were staring at them. Each of them put on a hat, put on light makeup, and tried to be as low-key as possible, but along the way, they didnât see any business that could be done.
UntilâŠ
When they passed by the vegetable market, I saw a very old grandpa who looked dark and thin. In front of him were cleaned persimmons and pears, and beside him was a small bag of walnuts. The booth was old, covered with a crinkled plastic sheet, which looked very simple. While other stall owners were working hard, collecting payment with the payment code, only the old man was sitting there a little confused and uneasy.
Someone came over and asked about the price. After hearing it, they looked disgusted, âCan you make it cheaper?â
The old manâs voice was a little low and hoarse, âThey are all home-grown. They are very good. They are sold at this price in the market.â
But he hesitated, his eyes were full of cautious helplessness. So in the end, he relented, âI⊠could sell it a bit lower, but donât have that code. I need money for my son, can you pay with cash?â
The buyer was impatient, âWho goes out with physical cash in this day and age? Forget it, I wonât buy it.â
After they left, no one cared about the old manâs stall again.
This scene looked a little sad, but it seemed to be a true portrayal of what happened to many elderly people. Many elderly people in the mountains have never touched a smartphone in their entire life, let alone use modern payment methods. Even if they have it, it was because of their children. But without those modern payment methods, they couldnât earn the money they need. On top of that, many of them lived alone, as their children had long gone elsewhere. Even if their children wanted to give them money, itâs hard without the said modern payment. Most of them end up in a lonely end.
Shen Xingchen looked a little annoyed, he was pure and kind by nature, and shouted, âLetâs go buy it and sell it!â
Others had no objections either.
But everyone seemed to agree on a silent consensus â they all looked at Fu Jinxiao at the same time, just like children who have to ask their parents when they buy something.
Actor Fu was silent for a moment, and finally took the lead. He walked to the old manâs stall, knelt down to check the quality of the fruit, asked about the price, and finally said, âHow many fruits like this do you have?â
The old man didnât expect such a question, and hesitantly said, âThere are a lot of plants in the back of the house.â
âAll of them are yours?â Actor Fu asked in detail, âAre they all mature already? How far away are they? Can we purchase them all now?â
The old man answered everything. It turned out that he lived in Houshan, a mountainside village not far from Taohua Town. The village was relatively peaceful with rich soil, but it was not as prosperous as the small town. Many people in the village grew their own fruits and vegetables.
As for the old man, these fruits were something he grew on his own plot of land. He really couldnât sell them all-year around, so it would be abundant during the season, and it became cheaper as a result. In the end, they were normally sold to unscrupulous businessmen at a low price, and they themselves canât get much money.
Fu Jinxiao nodded, and finally decided, âLetâs go and have a look.â
The old man asked suspiciously, âAre you really going to buy it?â
Shen Xingchen patted his chest and said, âOf course itâs true, donât lie! Donât worry, this yoââ
Before he finished speaking, Shen Xingsui covered his mouth, and whispered anxiously to his older brother, âNo, the director said that if the deal is concluded in the name of a celebrity, it will not be counted as a rule break!â
Only then did Shen Xingchen react slowly, and after a moment of fear, he affirmed to his younger brother, âYou are still smart.â
Shen Xingsui sighed helplessly.
Seeing the old manâs expression, the netizens couldnât help but laugh:
[Suisui, you can be louder, donât worry.]
[Hahaha, these two brothers are really silly.]
[Theyâre so cute!]
Although the old man didnât understand much, he understood that these were good people, so he cooperated and didnât ask any more questions. He led the people to the village quickly from the small road on the mountain, and then led them to see the fruit forest. The fruits here were very good, much better looking than many sold outside. However, since the villageâs populations were mostly the elderly, itâs hard for them to get a connection to sell them outside.
The arrival of the program group, in just a few days, brought a huge amount of traffic and customers to Taohua Town, and also brought vitality and hope to this poor village.
Fu Jinxiao nodded after checking, âOkay, Xingchen and Li Xuâan, you can help pick the fruit together. I will leave you with 200 yuan for an emergency. You go to the village to see if there is anyone who is willing to come and help you for cheap. Youâd better move quickly, get it done before noon. Suisui and I will go back to the town to look at the stalls and prepare to sell things.â
Shen Xingchen nodded, âOkay, no problem.â
Anyway, mental work is not suitable for him. Plus, picking fruits was way better than moving goods yesterday.
After Fu Jinxiao finished giving his orders, he took Shen Xingsui and left. On the way back, Fu Jinxiao kept calculating profits and things to prepare for doing business.
People said that serious men were the most handsome, to which Shen Xingsui whole-heartedly agreed. The youth watched the actor working hard in writing down all of his calculations. With awe, he said, âTeacher Fu, you are really amazing. You can arrange everything in an orderly manner. Why do you have so many ideas?â
Fu Jinxiao put down the pen, glanced sideways at him, and raised his eyebrows. âWell, I have a lot of practice.â
Shen Xingsui nodded seriously.
âAmazing!â Fu Jinxiaoâs number one fan praised his idol without hesitation, his eyes seemed to be filled with stars, âYou are really amazing!â
Normally, Actor Fu would accept this compliment humbly. But today⊠he was rather different. Fu Jinxiao slowly turned his face to the side and calmed down a little. The corners of his mouth curled up with an arc of interest, and he opened his lips to ask, âWhat about your Instructor Li?â
â?â
ââŠâ
â??â
A question mark slowly appeared on top of Shen Xingsuiâs head.
âAh?â Shen Xingsui was at a loss, âWhat, what about Instructor Li?â
Although he didnât understand, someone in the live broadcast room understood and immediately laughed:
[Hahaha, this vengeful and narrow-minded man.]
[My mother, this is so cute.]
[Actor Fu, are you a primary school student?]
[Hahahaha, is this the dignity of a man?]
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